


How Forever Feels

by wyntera



Series: A Little Place Called Home [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Peapod McHanzo Week
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 06:21:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17340176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyntera/pseuds/wyntera
Summary: Day 6 AND Day 7 of Peapod McHanzo Week 2019!Decisions are made and things change, for the better.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Peapod McHanzo Week 2019! Day Six's prompt: Meet the Family!

Genji meets Hanzo on the tarmac as he steps out of the Orca IV, his gear slung over his back and a fresh bruise on his cheek. “Welcome back,” Genji greets, wincing at the shade of purple creeping up towards Hanzo’s eye. “Looks like the mission went well?”

“It was successful,” Hanzo allows, “if not painless.” Other agents stream off the carrier behind him, all with more energy than he ever remembers having post-mission.

“The team did well?” Genji asks. With the Petras Act abolished and Overwatch back in the world’s good graces, their ranks have swelled considerably. Recently, the ninja has taken a more active role in Overwatch, having found a calling working with the new recruits. 

Hanzo nods and falls into step with his brother as they head inside. “Better and better. They have good instincts. I did not have to direct them much. The Commander should be proud.” 

“Do not let Fareeha hear you calling her that. You know she hates it.”

“Only from those older than her.” He gives Genji a once-over and sees that he is no worse for wear. “No problems in Volkskaya?”

“Not...exactly,” Genji hedges. The hesitation is enough for worry to spark in Hanzo. Genji can see it in his face. “Nothing too serious, but it is Jesse’s knee again.”

Hanzo lets loose a curse under his breath. “Where is he?”

“Angela released him from the infirmary. He is resting in your rooms. I wanted you to know before you see him.”

“Is it that bad?”

They pause between two meeting hallways, their paths diverging. Genji frowns as he looks down the length of the one that leads to the officer’s quarters. “He seemed off when we talked. Quieter than usual. I do not think it is just the knee. Whatever it is, he would not share. Tread carefully.”

The worry in Hanzo grows. “I will talk to him. Thank you.”

They part after that, Hanzo moving quicker than he would like with his sore muscles, eager to check on his lover. Jesse’s mission was not meant to be dangerous, just a quick day trip, more of an errand than anything else. How had he managed to hurt his knee on something as easy as that? He probably was not wearing his new brace, the one that Angela has been trying to force Jesse into for a good year now. He will have already gotten an earful from Angela, then, or one of her apprentices. Hanzo readies himself for an outburst, for Jesse to still be in his combat gear and raring for a fight, or maybe already drunk, when he opens the door.

Jesse is neither angry nor intoxicated. When Hanzo steps inside, he finds Jesse reclined in their bed. He is freshly washed and dressed down to his comfiest lazy-day clothes, back to the headboard, his leg elevated with a pillow and strapped with ice. At the sound of the door opening he turns his gaze from the window and offers a rueful smile to Hanzo. “Hey, baby.”

Hanzo drops his gear and bow just inside the door and comes over to the bed, careful not to shift the mattress under Jesse’s leg as he sits down. “Jesse,” he greets, the pleasure of seeing his cowboy dampened with worry. “I came straight here. What happened?”

Broad shoulders lift and fall as Jesse heaves a long sigh. “Took a bad fall chasin’ a target, is all. Tore it up real good.” He watches Hanzo lift the ice pack from his knee to inspect the damage. Hanzo is a master at schooling his features into a stoic mask, but Jesse has spent years studying every little tell. He knows Hanzo is taken aback by the uneven purple bruise and the significant swelling. “Angie said there ain’t no more putting it off anymore. It’s gotta be replaced if I want to get back in the field.”

“She would know best,” Hanzo says, placing the ice pack back in place with the delicate patience of a man handling an explosive device. “We knew this was coming. The recovery period for a knee replacement is not so long, anymore. A few months of rehabilitation, and you can be...Jesse?”

He glances up, expecting some sort of reaction, but Jesse sits motionless, staring out the window again. Hanzo thinks maybe he sees something on the horizon, maybe one of the carriers is taking off, but no. No, Jesse is looking but not seeing, lost in thought. Something is different, and Hanzo becomes aware of it like becoming aware of one’s own hands, everything sharpening and too real. “Jesse?” he prompts again. He reaches over for Jesse’s good hand when he gets no answer. “What’s wrong?”

When Jesse finally looks at him again, he seems nervous, and sad. Mostly he looks so very, very tired. He swallows, and when he does speak it’s soft and broken. “I think I’m done, Hanzo.”

For a moment, Hanzo cannot find words, or even thoughts. “What?”

“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” Jesse says, the confession tumbling out like a crooked boulder falling down a hill, awkward and jarring and devastating. “Goin’ out there every day, pushin’ myself to the limit to match people half my age, holdin’ ‘em back when I can’t keep up. I can’t do it anymore. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life havin’ to be put back together every time I fall apart, just to go out and risk it all again. Worried I ain’t goin’ to make it back.” He draws a ragged breath, his eyes starting to fill with tears. “I love what we got here, I do, but I don’t want the rest of my life to be a fancified double room in a military barrack. I want a home. I know it’s selfish but I want our house, and our farm, and you safe with me, and our cows—”

“Shh, my love, shh,” Hanzo murmurs, pulling him in close as the tears spill over. Strong arms wrap around Hanzo’s waist, and Jesse presses his face into Hanzo’s shoulder, his chest shaking as he tries to breathe. The time Hanzo spends comforting Jesse with his hold buys him precious time, mind racing, because this is not what Hanzo was expecting at all. Jesse, his sweet cowboy, his everything, overwhelmed and hurting. How long has he felt like this? How long has he been hovering at the breaking point? Hanzo knew Jesse was in pain but he didn’t know, he never  _ realized  _ that there was more to it than that. What a blind fool he has been.

“I’m sorry,” Jesse whispers into Hanzo’s neck, and it is the very last thing Hanzo wants to hear.

“No, do not say that.” Hanzo presses a kiss to Jesse’s hairline, where strands of gray have started mixing in with his chestnut locks. “It is I who should apologize. I did not know...I should have paid more attention.”

Jesse sniffles and lets himself be sat up enough so Hanzo can look at his tear-streaked face, tears that he tries to scrub off to little effect. “I shouldn’t’ve dumped all that on you at once.” He struggles to calm his hiccupy breathing. “This is just me, and maybe I’m overreactin’, I don’t know. I’ve just been thinkin’ about this a long time, and, and you don’t have to—I ain’t tryin’ to tell you what to do or nothin’, you’ve got a say in all this, too. I ain’t gonna force you—”

Listening to Jesse try to reason and rationalize his way out of what he wants for Hanzo’s sake hurts almost as much as seeing him cry. “Can I have a moment to answer?” Hanzo asks, cutting him off.

A blink, then another, Jesse running over the last minute in his head. He scrubs at his face again. “Yeah. Sorry, pumpkin’.”

Hanzo does take a moment. And another, just for good measure. To consider his life here, the bridges he has mended, everything he has accomplished, the lasting relationships he has made. And he thinks of the future, of where it may take him, of the things he will carry with him when he goes. Of Jesse by his side. In retrospect, the decision is so easy, he does not know why it took them so long.

“You are not forcing anything,” Hanzo says, folding Jesse’s good hand between both of his own. He is not sure when his eyes started to feel heavy with unshed tears as well, but he feels them now. His vision is blurry when he looks up at Jesse’s questioning face, but he feels like he’s finally seeing clearly. “I think you are right. It is time.”

“You...yeah?” Jesse asks. Their fingers tighten around each other enough to hurt.

Hanzo nods, throat tight, and he laughs before falling into Jesse’s arms. When they kiss, it feels like the first time all over again. Like a new beginning.

 

\---

 

Retirement doesn’t happen overnight. Hanzo is worried that the abruptness of Jesse’s injury is clouding his judgement; Jesse is worried about Hanzo being unhappy if they leave. Both fears are unfounded. They take a full week to talk it over seriously before they tell anyone at all, get all their ducks in a row as Jesse likes to say, so that by the time they share the news they are both certain of their decision.

Angela finds out first, if only because she is in charge of Jesse’s recovery. Of all the things that Jesse expects for Angela to express, relief is not one of them. “The first time I was stitching you up, you were not even twenty. You have pushed yourself so hard for so long,” she says. “It is every doctor’s wish to never have to see their patients injured again. You still need the surgery, and I would be happy to do it for you. And hopefully, it will be your last stay in one of these beds, yes?”

They tell Genji that night in private, the four of them sharing dinner in Jesse and Hanzo’s officer’s suite. Genji hugs them both, telling them how proud he is that they are taking care of themselves and each other. Some of what he says sounds like it is taken directly from Zenyatta’s teachings. The rest is much more brotherly, teasing Hanzo about getting old, the wrinkles showing up in the corners of his eyes and the white taking over his hair. That at least Hanzo is more comfortable with, and he gives back as good as he gets, pointing out Genji’s need to dye his hair more and more often to cover his own fading color.

Eventually the conversation comes around to their plans after Overwatch. “We have a place in Colorado,” Jesse says, pushing what’s left of his food around his plate.

“You do?” Genji looks between Jesse and his brother. “Since when?”

“For some time now,” Hanzo replies. “After we settle in, you should come visit.”

He takes Jesse’s hand on the table and the cowboy smiles. “Yeah, we’ll have a little house-warmin’ party. You can meet the gals.”

Genji blinks and trades a look with Angela. “Who?”

 

\---

 

“Are you sure about this?” Hanzo asks. He whisks his wrist a few more times, swirling a spoon around in the hot tea-water to make sure the sugar has dissolved before putting putting the lid on the pitcher. It’s taken him years of tutelage but he has finally learned exactly how to make sweet Southern iced tea just the way Jesse likes it. He takes every opportunity to brew it himself, preening at every one of Jesse’s compliments. Angela will probably nag them about the sugar content. “It is not too late to get them rooms at a hotel.”

“I’m sure. We’ve got the two guest rooms and a couch; that’s more than enough. Besides, they’ve all slept on worse,” Jesse calls back from the laundry room. He wanted to make sure everyone had enough fresh sheets and blankets. Hanzo thinks everyone will have more than enough and that Jesse is going a bit overboard; it is the summer, after all.

Pitcher of tea in the refrigerator with the one he made yesterday, Hanzo turns on Jesse as he comes through the kitchen, laundry basket in hand. “Yes, I realize that. It is not the sleeping arrangements I am worried about.”

“Whatcha mean?”

“I mean, the ranch is your safe-space,” Hanzo elaborates, crossing his arms. “Until I came along you had not brought anyone here. Now you will have seven people under one roof.”

“First off,” Jesse says, propping the basket on his hip, “you don’t count. You live here, too, so none of that  _ my ranch  _ nonsense. Second, this ain’t a little getaway anymore, it’s our home. I ain’t about to keep family out of our home just because I like some peace and quiet. And third...” Jesse shrugs, smirking at Hanzo. “Between Genji and Fareeha harpin’ at me every time we talk about comin’ out to visit, we better get it over with before they drop by with half of Overwatch in tow.”

Hanzo makes a horrified face at the thought and holds up both hands in surrender. “Fair point! Anything but that!”

Jesse heads out and up the stairs, his words growing muffled as he goes. “I’ll be fine, I promise! It’s only two nights!”

“Uh huh,” Hanzo mutters to himself. He grabs a dishrag and wipes down the counter of any water that may have spilled. “We will see how he feels when seven people need the bathroom in the morning.”

Seven months have passed since that fateful conversation after Jesse’s last Overwatch mission, which is still hard to fathom. He had surgery two weeks later to replace his knee and spent the following two months recovering his mobility. His forced sedation also gave him the chance to spend time with the other agents when they were available; Hanzo was sure that leaving behind the group that had become his family would be hard for the cowboy, no matter how much a professed loner he claimed to be. It’s not like Hanzo was any different.

In the meantime, Hanzo handled everything he could to make their transition to civilian life as seamless as possible. He worked with several junior agents teaching them tactics and preparing them for their new duties with Overwatch. He helped Hana find a suitable replacement instructor for the practice range since Jesse took over that responsibility several years ago. His final mission was bittersweet considering how uneventful it was, but his team were all from the roster when he was first invited to Overwatch and every moment was dripping with nostalgia. Genji was at his side when he walked off the Orca for the last time. The only thing that would have made it better was if Jesse had been at his back on the battlefield, but finding his love waiting for him on the tarmac when they touched down was a close second.

Tears were shed when the time came for them to leave. Promises were made to keep in touch. Hanzo got more hugs than he was entirely comfortable with, and a ridiculous amount of pictures were taken. Much later, on the flight to Colorado, Jesse admitted that after all these years he still couldn’t believe he had made it out of Overwatch alive. Hanzo could relate.

Before their retirement, the most consecutive time Hanzo had spent on the ranch was two weeks. Now, four months into their new lives here, he still wants to knock some sense into his past self for waiting so long. He fell in love with the ranch (not to mention its owner) that first stay so long ago; it is possible that part of Hanzo never really left. Jesse may have thought that Hanzo would grow bored of the solitude, or the manual labor, or that he would miss the call of the fight. He could not have been more wrong.

Sure, he misses the thrill of battle, sometimes. But their life here has plenty of excitement that doesn’t involve getting shot at. Hanzo can pursue his own interests at his leisure. With Jesse’s encouragement, he has taken up painting of all things. Hanzo never once thought of himself as an artist and here he is, taking a class once a week from an elderly woman in town and hauling a little easel and watercolors outside in nice weather. Genji will have a fit when he finds out.

And maybe it took some adjustment; learning to work the farm isn’t the same as the structured fitness regimen he is used to. He doesn’t push his training quite as strictly as he once did, and when he looks in the mirror there are more curves than he remembers. It doesn’t bother Hanzo like he thought it might. Vanity may be one of his flaws, but having Jesse McCree regularly make love to you and shower you with flattery has a way of keeping you happy with yourself that all the crunches and chin-ups in the world cannot.

The perks definitely outweigh the disadvantages. 

Hanzo glances out the kitchen window and sees a vehicle coming down the long drive, a cloud of dust kicked up in its wake. “They are here!” he shouts.

By the time the rented SUV pulls up, Jesse and Hanzo have come down the front steps to meet the group. Hana is the first one out and she launches herself at Jesse in a bear hug. “Annyeong!” she cries, squeezing him hard before hopping in excitement to bestow the same treatment to Hanzo. “Guys, it’s been ages since I’ve seen you!” She holds Hanzo back and gasps. “Look at your HAIR!”

“Hey!” Hanzo laughs, about to argue when Genji practically tackles him from the side.

“You are turning white!” Genji laments with all the drama of one of Jesse’s telenovelas, pulling at the strands of white taking over Hanzo’s hair. “Death is taking you! I can see you decaying away right before my eyes!”

Hanzo wrestles him into a proper hug, ruffling his brother’s thinning hair. “At least I do not go through a bottle of hair dye every other week.”

“Shut your filthy mouth!” Genji laughs.

“And how is the lovely and brave Commander?” Jesse asks as Fareeha comes around from the driver’s side.

“Better now that I can see you for myself,” she replies, hugging him even harder than Hana did. “You should have heard all the horrible things everyone came up with, how you’re going to maim yourself working on a farm.”

“Yeah, Morrison said cotton gins can mangle you to pieces,” Hana adds. “He said he heard of this story where this little boy fell in, and that he lived for like twelve hours, but you could actually see his heart beating inside his—!”

Lúcio jumps in, voice loud and chipper over the horrible end of that sentence. “Hey, fellas! The point is, we’re glad to see you haven’t been trampled by the livestock!” He gives them both a one-armed pat-hug and nods approvingly at them both. “Lookin’ good, lookin’ real good! Got that Marlboro Man thing goin’ on.”

“They do both look very healthy, thank goodness,” Angela says, last from the car and looking exasperated with the lot of them. Chances are she spent a good portion of the journey simultaneously shutting down all of their wild ideas about farm injuries and working herself up thinking about all the ones that were accurate. She gets her hugs and adds, “Healthy and happy, and hopefully they have a bathroom?”

“Yeah, we’ve been driving forever,” Hana adds, bending her legs a few times for good measure.

“Oh! Right, where’s my manners, come on in!”

Hanzo hangs back as Jesse goes into hospitality mode, offering everyone a drink and showing them the facilities and generally being his charming self, and instead helps Genji with their bags. He is glad to see there is only the one emergency bag in the back. “Fareeha insisted,” Genji explains when he notices Hanzo’s curious look. “If there is a crisis, she will have a jet fly by and pick her up. The rest of us are on stand-down.”

The cattle will love that, Hanzo thinks. “We do not want to keep you from anything important.”

Genji shoulders Angela’s two bags and shoots Hanzo a look. “You are important.”

Hanzo flushes; nothing he can say to that.

 

\---

 

“Alright,” Hana says, the ice in her empty glass shifting as she plonks it down on the table. “Where are these miniature cows I’ve heard so much about? I was promised the cutest little cows that ever existed, and I will be very disappointed if I don’t get some good pictures for my next stream.”

“We can head out and see them now, if you want. Give you the tour of the place,” Jesse suggests.

“Wait!” Angela hops up. “I need to put on some different shoes.”

Hana’s eyes widen about five seconds after Angela leaves, the implications setting in. “Oh, hell no, I’m not getting cow crap on these,” she says, scrambling to follow up the stairs for her own change of footwear.

“You learn to watch where you are walking,” Hanzo shares with those left, stifling a laugh as he watches Fareeha and Lúcio consider their own shoes and if they are worth the risk.

“I still cannot believe you two own a farm,” Genji says. He has been wandering around the living room and kitchen, stopping here and there to look at the knick knacks on the shelves and the pictures on the walls.

“Same,” Fareeha agrees. “I always thought you two were staying in some high class hotels when you took your time off.”

“‘Reeha, do I look like a high class guy?” Jese asks with an exaggerated head tilt, thumb hooking in his belt loop.

“Maybe not you, but him? Definitely,” Fareeha counters, pointing at Hanzo.

Genji laughs. “Yes, you are full of surprises,” he says of Hanzo. “Can you imagine what Father would say if he could see all this?”

“He would be speechless, for once,” Hanzo grins.

When everyone is dressed appropriately enough, Jesse and Hanzo lead the group out the back porch. “Wouldya look at that,” Lúcio says, managing to turn in a circle as they walk and not trip himself. “You got yourself quite the view, I’ll tell you that.”

“It is beautiful,” Angela agrees. “I had no idea you were in the mountains!”

“It is not the Himalayas, but I suppose it will do,” Genji teases.

Hana tromps close after Jesse, looking this way and that. “Yeah, yeah, very pretty; where’s the cows?”

“You’ll get your selfies,” Jesse laughs. He points out at one of the hills far off. On the curve of green grass they can make out little furry mounds. “Looks like the girls are grazin’ over there. I’ll get ‘em.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t walk that far on your knee,” Angela argues, which gets her a look from Jesse that has her fussing. “What? I am your doctor, I cannot just turn it off.”

“We will not have to walk out there,” Hanzo explains, coming up behind them with two buckets filled with hard biscuit treats. He hands one to Hana. “Shake them, loudly.”

Hana frowns down at the bucket but does as she is told, jostling the bucket hard enough for the treats to make a loud echo in the bucket. Far across the pasture, they see dozens of heads raise from the ground and the herd slowly begin a lazy amble their direction. “Oh my God, look!” she gasps, shaking it harder. “It’s like a dinner bell!”

Jesse gets them securely inside the fence by the time the miniature cows stroll up. His herd has grown a bit since that first visit from Hanzo, over thirty head of cattle each with their own names and personalities. He and Hanzo shower them all with love, attention, and as many treats as their diet will allow. Now, he stands to the side and watches the reactions of his friends as they meet his baby girls for the first time.

“Oh. My. GOD!” Fareeha squeals, hands covering the bottom half of her face as the first cows come close. She takes a tentative step forward as Gladys, a mostly-white Highland with a bit of curl to her fur, meets her halfway. Gladys is one of the braver of the cows. Fareeha whines a happy little noise and pets Gladys between the ears. “They’re so little! You said little but I didn’t think you meant like this!”

“They are little cows,” Genji says. Hanzo glances over to see that he looks baffled, awestruck, putting a hand out to pet two cows at a time. “I never really believed it, but they are. You own cows. My brother is a  _ farmer.” _

Lúcio has already stooped low so he can scruff at a russet cow that wanders up, ruffling her hair and making her look even more messy than she normally does. “Dude, this is the coolest thing ever!”

“Will they bite?” Angela asks. A black cow with a white spot on her chest has decided Angela is the one to investigate, sniffing at her shoes and up to her knee.

“Nothin’ dangerous,” Jesse assures her. “They’re well behaved. Looks like Michi has taken a shine to you.”

Angela puts out a flat palm on top of Michi’s head. It might take her a while to get used to being around them. “Hi, Michi,” she says, patting the crown of her head so the hair bounces.

“Hey, hey hey hey! No! Don’t eat that!” Lúcio has to tug one of his dreadlocks away from another cow that comes up behind him, then has to do a twirl and stand up to avoid another one. “These are not for you!”

“Yes, you have to be careful. I have lost more than one ribbon that way,” Hanzo admits.

“Um, guys?”

They all turn to find Hana gripping the plastic bucket tight to her chest, eyes wide as she looks at a sea of miniature cows gathered around her in a circle. Several are at her front and have their heads extended up, following their nose to the treats she has just out of reach. “Help!” she squeaks as one starts trying to nose at her side.

“Well, give ‘em some treats!” Jesse laughs, wading his way through the crowd and plucking a handful out. He gives them a toss and most of the cows scatter. Two stay, smart enough to know there are probably more treats to be had, and Jesse puts a treat in Hana’s hand. “Just hold your hand out like this...yeah, see, they won’t bite if you don’t give ‘em any fingers to bite.”

Hana lets out a giggle, sounding just like the young soldier they met back when she was nineteen and new to Overwatch. “It tickles!” she gasps. She pets the cow as it turns to headbutt Jesse, scratching lightly behind its soft ears. “This has got to be the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. And I am an authority on cute.”

Fareeha shakes her head, grinning at Jesse. “Mom is going to be so mad she missed this. And Reinhardt. You know he would have already picked one up to hug it.”

“Well, perhaps she and the others will have the opportunity to come out soon,” Hanzo says enigmatically, giving Paisley, one of his favorites, some attention. Conversation continues on around him, the others asking plenty of questions about raising cattle and farming. Genji just tilts his head and shoots Hanzo a look of scrutiny, one that has Hanzo smirking. It can wait.

 

\---

 

Later that night, Jesse holds court in the dining room, serving out heaping slices of apple pie that he is proud to have baked himself. The dessert does not really go with wine, but none of them point it out. While conversation flows, Genji and Hanzo excuse themselves to the back porch for some fresh air. They end up sitting on the back steps, half a bottle of red wine passing back and forth between them.

“So, what was that about earlier?” Genji asks.

“What was what earlier?” Hanzo counters, tipping the bottle back and taking a long swig.

“That bit about everyone coming out.” He snags the bottle from Hanzo’s fingers so he can have some himself. “You got that look you get. The one where you have a secret that is going to rock the boat.”

Hanzo is quiet for a long moment, long enough for Genji to realize something is up and look over. His brother has this soft smile on his face that makes him glow from the inside. He glances back over his shoulder, checking the door, before answering as quiet as he can without whispering. “I am going to ask Jesse to marry me.”

Genji breaks out into a grin. “No shit,” he says, watching as Hanzo smiles harder, looking away.

“No shit! It is about time!”

“He has not said yes yet,” Hanzo argues.

“Please. You have, like, fifty cow-baby children. If he says no I will have to kick his ass.” That makes Hanzo laugh, shoulders shaking with glee and knocking against Genji’s. “I have been looking for it for years. I was wondering what the hold-up was. Neither of you are against the idea of marriage.”

“We had discussed it, but were reluctant, before. There were always reasons; none of them matter now.” Hanzo digs in his pocket and pulls out a small box. “Do you want to see?”

They scoot closer so no light can fit between their shoulders, a solid wall to keep any prying eyes inside from seeing. Hanzo thumbs open the box to show a simple gold band, a ruby and a sapphire tucked together in the inlay. “I had Torbjörn help make it before we left,” he whispers.

“Whoa,” Genji answers, just as quiet. “It looks great. Very thoughtful. I figured you would go buy something way too expensive.”

“I can be thoughtful,” Hanzo grumps at him, looking at the ring. He put a lot of thought into it. Too much, if he was to ask Torbjörn. They spent far too many hours talking about the design of the thing. At one point he actually got kicked out of Torbjörn’s workshop because he was so underfoot wanting to be involved. “Do you think he will like it?”

Genji pulls off a move straight from their childhood, a smack from behind right to the back of the head that knocks Hanzo’s hair sideways in its tie. “Do not be an idiot—”

“Ow!”

“—of course he will like it!

“You dick!”

The ensuing scuffle is loud enough for Jesse to lean out the back door. “Y’all behavin’ out here?” he asks when he finds Genji and Hanzo locked in a complicated ninja hold. He did not think Hanzo could bend his back like that anymore. “You better not be arguin’.”

“Not arguing,” Hanzo wheezes.

“Just a brotherly discussion,” Genji grunts, trying to pull his leg free.

Jesse gives them a flat look. “If I have to have Angie come out here, y’all are goin’ to be sorry.”

They break apart in a flail of limbs, and Genji helps Hanzo to his feet. “Not necessary,” the ninja says, dusting the dirt off his cyborg legs.

Jesse looks between the two brothers, then points at them in turn. “I’ve got my eye on you two.”

As he goes back inside, letting the screen door thwap shut behind him, Genji retrieves the bottle of wine from where it toppled over in their tussle. “Enough for a toast,” he says, holding up the bottle to the porch light to see what’s left.

“You are going to jinx me,” Hanzo points out.

“Nonsense.” Genji holds up the bottle. “To my brother, for finally putting a ring on that.”

Hanzo snickers as Genji takes a drink, then hands the bottle over. “I can drink to that,” he says. “And hope that maybe you will grow a pair and do the same to Angela one day.”

Genji squawks as Hanzo downs the last of the wine, giving him a playful shove that almost has him tripping off the side of the porch. “I do not need to take this from the likes of you!” he huffs as he waits for Hanzo to catch his breath from his giggles. He follows Hanzo back to the door. “When are you going to ask?”

Hanzo smiles, opening the door for his brother to head inside. “I am not sure yet. Soon. You will be the first to know.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 of Peapod McHanzo Week! Today's Prompt: Engagement/Wedding!
> 
> Let's do the Engagement part...and see where that takes us. <3

As soon as the SUV carrying their friends clears the gate out of their yard, Jesse lets out a gusty sigh. “Thank God that’s over,” he says, waving as they head off down the drive between the pastures toward the road.

“I told you it would be rough.” Wrapping both arms around Jesse’s middle, Hanzo slumps against his lover, the tension of having guests the last three days finally easing from his shoulders. Jesse pulls Hanzo in even closer with an arm around his shoulders. “I do not remember people being that annoying when we lived in Gibraltar.”

Jesse lets out an undignified snort. “Han, sweet pea, you found  _ everyone  _ annoying in Gibraltar.”

“Not everyone! Bastion was wonderful.”

“Smart ass,” Jesse replies, full of affection. The SUV finally hits the road and disappears from view. “We’ve turned into old hermits.”

Hanzo hums in agreement, tilting his head up for a kiss. “I like being an old hermit. It is a lot less stressful.”

“Same.” Jesse pecks Hanzo with a light kiss, then a few more all over his face just to make the other man smile. “I don’t know about you, but I’m thinkin’ a nap and a frozen pizza for dinner.”

“Sounds perfect,” Hanzo says, letting Jesse tug him along back toward the house.

The wording brings to mind the conversation he and Genji had not ten minutes ago. The car had been packed up and everyone was doing their rounds of goodbyes, Hana getting a few more pictures and Angela grabbing some bottles of water for the road, when Genji pulled Hanzo aside. They had shared a hug and Genji promised he would come back to visit again as soon as he could. “And,” he had whispered, “you better call me the moment you pop the question.”

“I will,” Hanzo replied, eyes glancing over Genji’s shoulder to make sure Jesse wasn’t listening.

“I mean it,” Genji said. “And I better be the best man.” He pauses, considering. “What if you both ask me? Can I be best man and best man? Double-best man? It would only make sense, I am that awesome—”

“Please shut up,” Hanzo hissed, turning Genji around and shoving him toward the SUV.

Now, Jesse pauses as Hanzo slows down at the top of the stairs and puts more weight on Jesse’s hand, drawing him close. “What’s up, honeybee?”

Hanzo could do it now. He has rehearsed what he wants to say, he is certain this is what he wants, and has been certain for a long time now. He could drop to one knee and propose, on the front porch of their home, where they originally got together. It would be romantic.

But Jesse has a tired slump to his shoulders and his eyes are heavy. His posture is off, favoring his left leg after being on his feet so much the past few days. Right location, wrong timing.

“I love you,” Hanzo says instead. He gets another kiss, slow and thorough, with Jesse murmuring his reply against Hanzo’s mouth. That night, after they share that frozen pizza, Jesse snuggles Hanzo on the couch until the both fall asleep watching an old movie. Being a hermit suits Hanzo just fine.

 

\---

 

The problem with Genji is that he cannot keep his big mouth shut.

Hanzo wakes up the next morning with no less than thirteen texts of premature congratulations about his future nuptials. He is on the verge of a heart attack, a stroke, or premeditated murder of his brother (again) when Jesse wakes up. Holding his breath, Hanzo watches Jesse check his own phone, but he only glances at it for a moment before stretching and yawning. “Everybody got back okay,” he mumbles, rolling to a sitting position with his back to Hanzo and stretching again. This time his back pops. “After yesterday’s big breakfast, I’m thinkin’ cereal. That good for you?”

“Yes,” Hanzo replies, staring at Jesse for any sign of distress. “I will cut up some fruit to add.” When the other man merely scratches at his side and leaves for the bathroom, Hanzo slumps back on the pillows. Seems that at least Genji had the common sense to tell everyone that Hanzo had not  _ asked  _ yet. He opens his phone and scrolls through the messages from their well-meaning friends.

_ Hana Song (23:47): asdjnskjcskcsflnslc!!!!!!!!! _

_ Mei-Ling Zhou (23:48): CONGRATULATIONS! I am so happy for you guys!!!!! _

_ Hana Song (23:49): WHY DIDNT YOU SAY AnYthING WHILE WE WERE ThERE!?!?! _

_ Lúcio Correia dos Santos (23:52): Hey man congrats on the wedding bells! Is it okay that we told the crew here? Cause we told them and they are freaking out. _

_ Fareeha Amari (23:53): Hey, as your soon-to-be sister-in-law, Genji does not get to be double best man, that is bullshit, I get to be Jesse’s best woman, if he even thinks about picking Genji I will kick both your asses. _

_ Hana Song (23:52): Seriously? You could have proposed while we were there and totally announced it to the world! I bet McCree would have bawled his eyes out. THIS IS WHY WE CANT HAVE NICE THINGS HANZO! _

_ Ana Amari (23:57): Congratulations! Can you please have the wedding sometime in the next century? Love to you both. _

_ Jack Morrison (00:03): Good job. _

_ Hana Song (00:03): WHY IS TORB NOT SURPRISED??? _

_ Reinhardt Wilhelm (00:04): I JUST HEARD THE WONDERFUL NEWS! Do not worry, your secret is safe with me! Will the wedding be on your farm? Hana has shown me pictures of your pets and they must be hugged! _

_ Torbjörn Lindholm (00:06): Let me know if that ring needs to be resized. Congrats son. _

_ Brigitte Lindholm (00:07): I just saw the mini cows! Can I hold one? Do you have a barn cat? _

_ Hana Song (00:08): Satya is mad that you didn’t tell her you were proposing, you’re in the dog house! She said call her later, and also you better get to asking soon because I’ll only be able to keep them quiet for so long. Time’s a ticking! _

Hanzo turns his phone screen off and looks up at the closed bathroom door, through which he can hear the water running, Jesse humming a tune to himself. Time is ticking, alright.

 

\---

 

He has every intention of proposing. This is a decision Hanzo is certain of, one he knows he will not regret. They have even discussed marriage, so it is not like a proposal would be out of the blue. The problem is Jesse deserves the perfect moment. And, as much as Hanzo believes he knows Jesse, he isn’t sure what the other man considers the perfect proposal.

Proposing over dinner at a fancy restaurant has long been ruled out, as has anything involving a romantic destination vacation, birthdays, or holidays like Christmas. Jesse is a romantic but he doesn’t like clichéd romance. He likes things to come naturally. Out of all the gestures that Hanzo has made toward Jesse over the course of their relationship, Jesse has always appreciated the ones with a lot of thought and meaning but the ones that really melted his heart were spontaneous.

Which can be...difficult. Spontaneous is not Hanzo’s specialty.

So, while it is his first impulse to plan an extravagant spectacle, and his second impulse to plan something private but no less excessive, he tamps down the urge and tries to just be patient. Their relationship has been built on quiet moments, not grand occasions. The right moment will present itself, and when it does, Hanzo will know.

Which is why Hanzo has taken to carrying around the ring in his pocket everywhere they go. Every morning when he is getting ready for the day, Hanzo discreetly slips the ring box into his pocket, and every evening when he dresses down it is slipped just as discreetly back into the dresser drawer he has been hiding it in ever since they moved. It is not the most comfortable idea he has had, but he was surprised by how quickly he grew accustomed to the weight in his front pocket. And it is not the most practical idea, either, considering Jesse has a penchant for getting handsy. More than once Hanzo has had to steer Jesse’s hands away from his hips, and one time he had to squirm the box out of his pocket and under the couch cushion—not that Hanzo is complaining about that particular afternoon romp.

Three weeks go by like this, Hanzo getting more and more persistent texts from their friends every day. Genji threatens to fly over and force the issue. Much to his mortification, even Satya decrees that he is being a perfectionist.  _ Satya.  _

He may never recover.

 

\---

 

Hanzo drives the nail into the wood board with a few precise strikes. How in the world this damage happened to the barn roof, he will never know. They will have to go into town and pick up some proper wood and shingles for repairs, something permanent, but they can’t leave this hole exposed until then. Not with rain in the forecast and the hole right over their hay loft.

He leans down to pick up another board and nails, but frowns when he does a quick count. “Jesse!?” he calls.

From below he hears a shouted, “Yeah?”

“I need more nails! Ah...eight more!”

“Be right up, sugar cube!”

Soon enough the wood starts creaking and groaning under added weight, then Jesse’s head pops through the hole above the ladder rungs. “I told ya to bring up the whole box,” Jesse says by way of greeting, lifting himself up with the little cardboard box in hand.

“Hush,” Hanzo replies, holding his hand out for Jesse to shake a few nails into his palm.

Jesse puts his metal arm against the two-by-fours, testing their give. “How’s it lookin’?” Jesse asks.

“It will do well enough for now,” Hanzo says. “I would not let it go long, though.”

“We can run by the store tomorrow and get some supplies. Gotta get up early, though. Storm’s supposed to be comin’ in the evenin’.”

“No sleeping in late for you,” Hanzo teases, poking at one of Jesse’s love handles with the head of the hammer. Jesse laughs, batting him off and stepping back to give Hanzo room. He places the heads of the nails in his mouth so he can hold onto all four he needs, but it makes it difficult to talk. “‘Mwe nee’ ‘ilch.”

Jesse chuckles. “Ain’t sure I’ve ever heard that language. Want to try again?”

Hanzo grunts, maneuvering the nails to one side of his mouth. “We need milk,” he mutters, holding up a board and beginning to hammer it in place.

“Alright, we’ll make a quick grocery run, too,” Jesse says, loud over the sound of the hammering. Hanzo gets two nails in and starts on the third when he just barely hears Jesse say, “Oh, hey, you dropped somethin’.”

Hanzo takes a half a second too long to realize that Jesse doesn’t mean he dropped an extra nail. Then he feels the weight in his pocket, or lack thereof, and twirls on the spot as horror sets in. Jesse is on one knee, his good one, shaggy headed and looking down at a little blue jewelry box in his hand. Hanzo’s heart might actually stop beating for a moment.

“Hold on,” Jesse says, confused but rapidly becoming not. “Is this—?”

“STOP!”

Jesse jerks his bewildered gaze up to look at Hanzo.

“Just...stop,” Hanzo says. He probably looks just as shaken as Jesse. “This isn’t how this is happening.”

So maybe this isn’t the perfect moment, but this is happening right now and Hanzo is not going to mess it up this badly. Before Jesse can question it, Hanzo drops the hammer and nails, grips Jesse by his ratty workshirt, and hauls him up to his feet. The ring box gets snagged from fingers gone suddenly limp. Jesse starts smiling as Hanzo mutters, “You always have to make things difficult.”

“Darlin’—”

“No, no talking, let me do this.”

Jesse lets out a tiny laugh before biting his lip, forcing himself to be quiet but looking at Hanzo expectantly.

Right.

Hanzo takes Jesse’s hand in his. “Jesse,” Hanzo says, and is that his voice? Shaking and fuzzy-deep? “Jesse, we have been through so much together. You have...been there, for me, with me, and...you have known me better than I know myself.” He is losing track of what he was going to say. How did he word it? “There is no one I would rather have by my side. You make me so happy, happier than I knew possible. A–and…”

He swallows, throat tight, and looks up at Jesse. His beautiful Jesse, dirty from a day’s work, hair in his eyes, sweat on his brow, the sun on his skin. Tears gathering in his eyes and a trembling smile on his face. Jesse nods at him, encouraging him to go on. “Get to the good part,” Jesse whispers, and Hanzo laughs.

“I do not have the words to say what you mean to me. You mean everything,” Hanzo concludes. He squeezes Jesse’s hand once before easing down onto one knee. The box has a smudge of brown dust on the blue velvet that years from now will still never quite come out. Hanzo opens the box and looks up at his love. “Jesse McCree,” he says. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Jesse blurts, leaning down to capture Hanzo’s mouth. He grabs Hanzo’s face to hold him still, as if Hanzo had any intention of pulling away. Rather, he grabs hold of Jesse’s forearms, anchoring them together and lengthening the needy kiss into something more, into multiple kisses, until they can’t hold it anymore due to their grins. “Yes, yes, I will marry you,” Jesse says, kneeling down so he can be even closer to his love. His  _ fiancé. _

Hanzo cards his fingers through Jesse’s hair, over his beard, down his chest. He cannot remember a more beautiful sight. “I love you,” he adds, because that was an important point he may have left out in there.

“I love you too,” Jesse replies, pressing their foreheads together. Then he smirks. “And we’ll make sure to memorize our vows, yeah?”

“Jerk,” Hanzo giggles, burying his face under Jesse’s chin so he can feel Jesse’s laugh for himself.

Maybe it was perfect after all.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like that and want more, want to check out my art, or just want to chat, come on by my tumblr! You can find me under username wyntera. And if twitter is more your game, come and join me there, just look for @ThreeCatDesigns. You can now also find me as wyntera on Pillowfort!
> 
> And hey. Thanks.


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